Rowers Heinz-Jürgen Bothe and Jörg Lucke won the gold medal in the coxless pairs at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. The two men won the East German national title in 1963, 1965 and 1968. Bothe rowed with TSC Berlin and won the eights national title in 1963-64 and 1967, and also silver medals in 1968-69. He also won a silver medal with the coxed fours, narrowly beaten by West Germany, at the 1969 European Championships. He also won a bronze medal with the eights at the 1966 World Championships.
Bothe trained as a boat builder, and later studied at the Institut für Forschung und Entwicklung von Sportgeräten (FES) – Institute for Research and Development of Sports Equipment. He was involved in the research and development of the world class rowing boats of the former GDR in the 1970s and 1980s.
East Germany